Bears interviewed McDaniels, had doubts he would leave the Patriots

The Colts were blindsided by Josh McDaniels’ decision to spurn their head-coaching job to remain the offensive coordinator in New England. But another team that interviewed McDaniels saw it coming.

The Bears also interviewed McDaniels for their head-coaching vacancy, but they never offered him the job. Instead, the Bears hired Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.

One of the reasons the Bears preferred Nagy over McDaniels is that Nagy was eager to take the job. But McDaniels, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, left the Bears with apprehensions about his willingness to leave the Patriots.

The Colts were reportedly very high on Nagy, and the Bears acted fast to hire him as soon as the Chiefs were out of the playoffs. That looks very smart now, as the Bears have their man and the Colts are still working a month later, on finding their next head coach.

80 responses to “Bears interviewed McDaniels, had doubts he would leave the Patriots”

I mean, the guy started hiring his staff. How much more do you need to think he’s actually taking the job? This was a dirt bag move by McDaniels. I don’t care about the Colts or the Patriots, but he f***** those guys he convinced to come work with him in Indy.

McDaniels has come off as rather creepy since he went to Denver.
People wanted to blame Jay Cutler for wanting out but this shines the light directly at McDaniels. He is unstable.
Unless he has been promised the big boy’s chair in New England real soon then he may never get another shot at a HC job in the NFL.

The Colts were reportedly very high on Nagy, and the Bears acted fast to hire him as soon as the Chiefs were out of the playoffs. That looks very smart now, as the Bears have their man
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Maybe we should reserve judgement about how smart the Bears are until we see how he does?

savethebs says:
February 8, 2018 at 12:34 pm
I mean, the guy started hiring his staff. How much more do you need to think he’s actually taking the job? This was a dirt bag move by McDaniels. I don’t care about the Colts or the Patriots, but he f***** those guys he convinced to come work with him in Indy.

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He was hiring his staff and fully intended to do it until information came out that suggested the Colts had misrepresented the Andrew Luck situation to him. Maybe if the Colts would have been more honest up front things would have unfolded more smoothly. But I think after lying about Luck for so long its just habit now.

Unless the Bears’ GM was also sharing McDaniels’ agent I’m sure he wasn’t headed there. The agent representing both McD and the Colts’ GM was the whole key to that deal. Odds are they had this in the works months ago. That explains why the Colts were so quick to announce the deal without a signed contract and why the agent totally flipped out when things fell through.

If everything was really done in whirlwind of a few days does the agent go nuts and drop McDaniels as client for having second thoughts? That’d be rather odd. However, if they’d laid all the groundwork long ago awith McDaniels’ approval THEN you can understand why his backing out would cause so many bad feelings.

Wellman says:
February 8, 2018 at 12:45 pm
savethebs says:
February 8, 2018 at 12:34 pm
I mean, the guy started hiring his staff. How much more do you need to think he’s actually taking the job? This was a dirt bag move by McDaniels. I don’t care about the Colts or the Patriots, but he f***** those guys he convinced to come work with him in Indy.

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He was hiring his staff and fully intended to do it until information came out that suggested the Colts had misrepresented the Andrew Luck situation to him. Maybe if the Colts would have been more honest up front things would have unfolded more smoothly. But I think after lying about Luck for so long its just habit now.

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That’s unsubstantiated & you know it. We don’t know what he was told about Luck. And we don’t really know what Luck’s timetable is. But he should have known going in that Luck was a risky bet.

And regardless, it doesn’t change what he did to the guys he hired, who he convinced to leave their current roles & uproot their families… to join him. He left them hanging in the wind. That’s a dirtbag move.

Again, I dont care about the Colts. I’m actually a fan of a division rival so really it’s funny to me. Doesn’t change my (or anyone’s outside of New England) opinion of him.

That also doesn’t mean I’m letting the Colts off the hook. But they don’t get as much blame as he does. Their only mistake was announcing it before the contract was signed. Which in the long run isn’t that big of a deal.

Dirtbag move by Mcdaniels to let his assistants sign on for the job and move their families. Colts should have had better protocols put in place for this never to happen. But if McD was approached by the Pats the day he was cleaning out his office maybe the offer was too good to pass up. Learn BB’s secrets and create a succession plan to carry on the dynasty of the last 2 decades. In all reality that’s a tough spot to be put in. You’re going to look greedy taking the better deal for yourself, but in 5 years all may be forgotten… Or he may be out of the league.

Lol torched? Dude he made something like 10-15 million from Denver and has easily made several more as an OC. He was actually packing up his office at Gillette when Robert Kraft and Belichick turned up and put the full court press on him to stay in New England. Which undoubtedly included a raise that will make him the highest paid coordinator in the league on either side of the ball.

He can retire at any point, never work another day in his life and live large. But yeah, that’s getting “torched”

I think everyone can recognize that this situation is really weird – guys don’t turn down NFL head coaching jobs on a regular basis.

Sure, it seems shady on McDaniels’ part, but I have to believe the Colts played some part in this too. Were they not forthcoming about Luck’s recovery status? Who knows.

Regardless, I think the Colts decision to fire Pagano when Luck was out all year and they had to improvise with an untested QB was pretty lame. Pagano wasn’t the problem. I wouldn’t consider Irsay a stable owner.

Having said all that – I agree that this falls on McDaniels and isn’t a good look for him.

No one is a villain or idiot here. These are just creations of the media looking for today’s soap opera. Everything that transpired was allowable under contract law and the rules set by the league. Sometimes circumstances are circumstances and he would have taken the job if the Patriots did not push ti retain him AFTER THEIR FOCUS COULD SHIFT TO THIS FOLLOWING THE SUPER BOWL.

I cannot help but think the league rules concerning postseason interviews had something to do with this.

Good for Josh! Josh is smart and stayed. The bears are smart and realized he would stay. The colts aren’t very smart at all and that cost them again. It’s a shame they felt they had to lie to McDaniels about Luck’s physical health. I don’t Blame McDaniels at all. What a Classless organization the Colts are.

Why does everybody keep saying that McDaniels hired the assistants? Is there any evidence that’s what happened? Given his reported qualms all along, it seems a lot more likely that he talked about people he could recommend and the Colts had the poor judgment to sign the assistants before wrapping up the deal with the head coach.

More proof that the Colts are a clueless amateur organization. I mean even the Bears could read Josh’s lack of excitement for leaving a first class organization to go to something much much lesser.

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Yesterday you called a poster out for being judgemental…….excuse me can you spell hypocracy? Why is it so hard for Pat’s fans to admit wrong doing by their team,players or coaches. It makes you look very small.

McDaniels was going to go to the Colts. The deciding factor was Kraft and Belichick grabbing a hold of him while he was cleaning out his office and promising to bring him into the fold on roster construction, salary cap, etc. They also added years and money to his existing deal. There is nothing in writing but you know they’ve laid out a clear plan of succession from BB to McDaniels. This isn’t about McDaniels being a bad guy or Indy’s lack of appeal with Luck’s shaky health and crazy drugged out owner. It’s about Kraft and BB convincing Josh to stay. Credit to Kraft and BB.

McDaniels has proven incapable of coaching a team previously. He’s had no success outside of New England and went back the second he got a chance. In an opportunity to prove himself, he balked. He left his assistants without jobs and went back to New England. Now Belicheck is going to “open the vault” and share all the secrets of success to McDaniels. However, giving a bum 1 million dollars isn’t exactly a recipe for success. He has no character, no backbone and apparently needs clear instructions how to be a HC, after being in the NFL for a decade plus. No thanks.

savethebs says:
February 8, 2018 at 12:34 pm
I mean, the guy started hiring his staff. How much more do you need to think he’s actually taking the job? This was a dirt bag move by McDaniels. I don’t care about the Colts or the Patriots, but he f***** those guys he convinced to come work with him in Indy.
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Josh McDaniels is a very good man with high integrity. He is wrongly seen as someone who double crossed the Colts but the full blame should be directed at Colts GM Chris Ballard, for being so unprofessional in not locking up the agreement with a signature. The Krafts were able to persuade Josh to stay in his exit interview because the Colts failed to wrap up the deal and assumed he was coming to Indy. Rather than attacking McDaniels, the real idiot is Ballard and he should be fired for his incompetence.
Furthermore the assistant coaches who signed and the others who were set to sign, should direct their anger at Ballard. They have been jerked around because Ballard went to steps 3 and 4 before actually completing step 1 of signing Josh McDaniels.

“That’s unsubstantiated & you know it. We don’t know what he was told about Luck. And we don’t really know what Luck’s timetable is. But he should have known going in that Luck was a risky bet.
And regardless, it doesn’t change what he did to the guys he hired, who he convinced to leave their current roles & uproot their families… to join him. He left them hanging in the wind. That’s a dirtbag move.
Again, I dont care about the Colts. I’m actually a fan of a division rival so really it’s funny to me. Doesn’t change my (or anyone’s outside of New England) opinion of him.
That also doesn’t mean I’m letting the Colts off the hook. But they don’t get as much blame as he does. Their only mistake was announcing it before the contract was signed. Which in the long run isn’t that big of a deal.”

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What isn’t unsubstantiated is that McDaniels didn’t hire the staff and couldn’t because he was never on the payroll to hire anyone. He could make suggestions but pretty sure all coaching candidates do that as part of the interview process. Chris Ballard hired them presumably as a way to convince McDaniels to take the job. Here in Indianapolis the media was reporting that the assistants were being interviewed and hired BEFORE MCDANIELS SECOND INTERVIEW. That timeline alone points to the Colts trying to pressure Mcdaniels into a yes, not McDaniels saying yes then changing his mind. Announcing him as the head coach then admitting yesterday they hadn’t even talked to him let alone had him sign a contract since that second interview supports that as well.

This is clear cut rookie GM in over his head screwing up and playing victim. Same GM that didn’t know where his star QB was for half the year or what was wrong with him or if he’ll ever come back (and still doesn’t).

This is what happens when you hire the guy who’s only front office experience was he made Andy Reids sandwiches for 2 seasons in Kansas City and think that makes him GM material.

Nofoolnodrool says:
February 8, 2018 at 1:26 pm
More proof that the Colts are a clueless amateur organization. I mean even the Bears could read Josh’s lack of excitement for leaving a first class organization to go to something much much lesser.

35

Yesterday you called a poster out for being judgemental…….excuse me can you spell hypocracy? Why is it so hard for Pat’s fans to admit wrong doing by their team,players or coaches. It makes you look very small.

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Hypocrisy, not hypocracy, obviously it is YOU that can’t spell the word. That’s IRONIC! Now you have two new words for this week.
I don’t think that Josh did anything wrong here. When it came time to ink the deal he decided he didnt want to put himself into that organization and that NE was a better situation for him. Why it so hard to accept that? ANyone in their right mind would do what they think best for them and while they may have had an agreement on terms, until an actual contract is signed, the business is not complete.
AND You calling me small for my opinion is just funny after all of the trolling you have done on Pats threads.
Learn to accept that people have different opinions than yours.

Exactly. Own your evil for once. Irsay didn’t notice McDaniels wasn’t leaving because Irsay was too busy humping Kraft’s leg. (2) draft picks, (11) former Pats on his roster, and a failed attempt to poach (2) coordinators later, Irsay still doesn’t have what he wants so let’s stir up the fans against the Patriots. Is there a pattern here? The Colts didn’t get screwed. Irsay just wants you to think they did (again).

I agree with this. There should have been some legal instrument to bind McDaniels to the pre-contractual commitment.

Ballard ought to be forced to be the interim HC.

adb1echer says:
February 8, 2018 at 12:38 pm
McDaniel is the main villain here, but the fact that *most* media members are placing NO blame on Ballard is laughable. The Bears front office saw his indecisiveness, but the wonderkid in Indy didn’t?

nfceastguy says:
February 8, 2018 at 1:45 pm
February 8, 2018 at 12:37 pm
Great!! So the Colts got screwed through their own incompetence. Lovin’ it!!!! we have a succession plan, they don’t even have a QB or Coach for training camp.

0-16 Colts and 16-0 Patriots

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Pats will likely win the AFC and return to the Superbowl, but lets put the 16-0 stuff aside. Thats silly talk for any team.

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Brady and Belichick have played in there last SB together. You can take that to the bank

7 12 Rate This

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No joke. My Jets buddy (yes, sadly I have a friend who is a fan of the loser Jets), said that in 2008 and I stole $100

A framed check (I cashed it digitally), a story about the bet, and a glossy of Malcom Butler’s INT at the goal line sits on my wall today.

If the intent’s to eventually promote McDaniels to HC in NE, Pats mgmt has to be clinging to Belichick for dear life. I’ve seen Pats refer to McDaniels as a potential heir apparent to Belichick — based on his track record, no clue why you’d want that.

cosmicconvoy says:
February 8, 2018 at 3:03 pm
How much pay raise did Pats offer McDaniels after the SB?

0 1 Rate This

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Who knows, but it likely wouldn’t have been equal the amount the agent was cash in on for McDaniels to sign on that scummy Colts dotted line.

The fact McDaniels was even talking to anyone in that organization is disturbing, from a Pats’ fan point of view.

As long as the Krafts own the Pats and Goodell is commissioner, there is no way on earth we will ever forget Farmemjob I or II.

Never.

The Pats will try to slash these cheating teams’ proverbial throats on gamedays every time from now until eternity.

That’s how bad Goodell and the owners’ cheating has been for the last 10 years.

FACT: We are the first team i NFL history to be cheated out of a replay review for a TD in Super Bow history and I KNEW Goodell’s cheating would it work its way into this. Somehow, some way. No way he wanted to hand over another Lombardi to the PAts. No wway.

TylawsUnCalledPassInterference said:
“Umm, what are thee mystery “excuses” exactly? This should be hilarious to read.”

Which “incident” would you like to start with? It’s probably not necessary to recap all of the things your team has been accused of, much less all the things it’s been busted for. We’re all football fans, we all know how many times your team has been involved in shady crap. There’s a reason that everyone outside New England hates the Patriots, and it’s not “They hate us cuz’ they ain’t us”. It’s not just Colts fans, either, although we have certainly have more reasons than most.

Since you asked, though, my favorite cheaties excuses include “If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying!”, “Everyone cheats!”, and “It didn’t make any difference on the field of play!”. You can pick an “incident” and apply any of these excuses. We’ve all heard them before.

Like the Bears were going to hire McDaniels? I doubt it. They were set on Nagy from the start. They wanted the one hint wonder and they got him.

Now,m what McDaniels did to Indianapolis was/is indefensible. But to make it seem like the Bears were somehow smart in all of this is simply ignoring the reality of the situation as their hearts were fixed on Nagy from the start.

endtimesparty says:
February 8, 2018 at 1:21 pm
No one is a villain or idiot here. These are just creations of the media looking for today’s soap opera. Everything that transpired was allowable under contract law and the rules set by the league.
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Was a time you could buy humans at auction in this country. Legal under contract law. Doesn’t mean it’s right. No one should EVER hinge their morality based upon what is or isn’t legal under the law.

Whenever I have a good employee tell me they are leaving I will beat the offer if I want them to stay. When a not so good employee gives me the same news, I congratulate them and wish them well. Keeping the people you need is American as apple pie.

Nofoolnodrool says:
Yesterday you called a poster out for being judgmental…….excuse me can you spell hypocracy? Why is it so hard for Pat’s fans to admit wrong doing by their team,players or coaches. It makes you look very small.
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I don’t know whether the poster you were addressing knows how to spell h-y-p-o-c-r-i-s-y or not. But it’s clear you don’t, which makes your comment both hypocritical and a little j-u-d-g-m-e-n-t-a-l, don’t you think?

Kraft realized that he could not let McDaniels go because he knows where all the bodies are buried. Mangini turned the Pats in on Spygate because he knew about the cheating. There’s a good chance Josh would have done the same thing when he played NE, and Tommy’s legacy would have gone in the trash regarding deflategate. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Pats don’t want any insiders in the secret club. probably a good move.

According to Irsay (August 13, 2017) Luck was going to be ready for the beginning of the season, though he may not okay in the opener. Then Luck missed the entire season. Then they come out with the same deal again recently.

You have to wonder why they bothered to bring it up before he’s even thrown a football. Nobody knows what they may have told McD about Luck….but if they even said anything, it’s more probable than not that they stretched the truth. It’s what they do.